The 90-minute ceremony today was attended by ambassadors-designate from six countries: Virgilio Paredes Trapero of Honduras; Amin Muhammad Dalhatu of Nigeria; Manuel Antonio Goncalves de Jesus of Portugal; Ifigeneia Kontoleontos of Greece; Wylbur Chisiya Simuusa of Zambia; and Nabih El Abed of Tunisia.
President Moon offered congratulations to Honduran Ambassador Virgilio Paredes Trapero on the reelection of President Juan Orlando Hernandez. Noting the similar length of their terms in office, President Moon expressed the hope relations between Korea and Honduras would be elevated a step higher during the period. The President added the effectuation of a recently-signed Korea-Central America FTA would bring great benefits to both countries. The Honduran Ambassador to Korea responded by saying he was grateful to Korea for cooperating with Honduras over the past 55 years, expressing the hope the Korea-Central America FTA would pave the way for more Honduran fruit, including melons, to be exported to Korea.
Nigerian Ambassador Amin Muhammad Dalhatu said that a Nigerian Olympic team, its first winter Olympians, would participate in the upcoming Winter Olympics. He went on to say bilateral cooperation would be further enhanced on the occasion of this special event. President Moon said he understood three Nigerian female athletes would come to the PyeongChang Winter Olympics, expressing his wish that they would bring home a good result on their first participation in the Winter Olympics. He promised that the Korean Government would take good care of them.
President Moon welcomed Portuguese Ambassador to Korea Manuel Antonio Goncalves de Jesus by noting that Portugal was one of the first Western countries to encounter Korea when it was in the dark about the Western Hemisphere. The President went on to say Portugal was also one of the countries that transmitted Catholicism to Korea, expressing the hope that bilateral relations would be further cemented on the foundation of such a long history between the two. When President Moon noted things in common between Korea and Portugal, such as being passionately enthusiastic and making much of family, the Portuguese Ambassador fully related to him and said even though Portugal is a small country, it has solved problems in international relations through dialogue. The Ambassador also looked forward to more vibrant exchanges between the peoples of the two countries.
President Moon told Greek Ambassador Ifigeneia Kontoleontos that Koreans are very familiar with Greece because they learn in school that Greece is the cradle of Western civilization and the birthplace of democracy. The President went on to say that Greece had beautiful scenery and that Koreans liked the country very much. Speaking of Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon’s recent visit to Greece, Ambassador Kontoleontos expressed the hope that the PyeongChang Olympics would become the most successful and safest Olympics in history. President Moon and Ambassador Kontoleontos said they hoped that cooperation in shipping and shipbuilding, the areas of traditional bilateral collaboration, would be further strengthened going forward.
Zambian Ambassador Wylbur Chisiya Simuusa expressed the hope that bilateral relations that began in 1990 would make further progress. Then, the Ambassador said his country actively supported Korea’s stance on U.N. Security Council resolutions. President Moon expressed his gratitude to the Zambian Government for the continuous support for Korea’s stance and his strong determination for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and the establishment of a peace regime.
Noting that Korea and Tunisia had qualified for the World Cup, President Moon expressed the hope to Tunisian Ambassador Nabih El Abed that the two countries would be able to achieve great results. The President went on to say that he knew Tunisia was the origin of the Arab Spring in 2011 and had succeeded in becoming a democratic country. He continued that the new Korean Administration had also been launched through the candlelight revolution, expressing the hope that based on the similarities, bilateral relations would be further advanced. The Tunisian Ambassador thanked the Korean Government for its assistance during the Arab Spring. The Ambassador said that ever since the process of democratization following the Arab Spring, however, Tunisia had faced difficult challenges in many areas, including the economy, society and security. Then, the Ambassador asked for much assistance in the economy just as Korea had helped his country in the process of the democratization.
Finally, the ambassadors extended invitations for President Moon to visit their countries for summit meetings. President Moon expressed the hope that bilateral exchanges in the economy and culture would be further expanded and said that visits to their countries could be arranged through consultations.
